Quartz is a common rock found in my part of the world. We see it just about everywhere we go whether it is on our walking trail or down by the river. We mostly have milky quartz.
Here is my specimen gathered locally and now sitting in my collection. Okay, I already had lots of quartz in my collection but since my nature study goals were to collect the samples this year, I decided to get another one…you can never have too many rocks. 🙂
According to Wikipedia, milky quartz is the most commonly found type of quartz and can be found almost everywhere. I know we have found it a lot of places we have traveled. Even though it is very common, it is still beautiful and amazing to look at.
Some more interesting facts I learned this time:
All granite has quartz and feldspar crystals in it. The crystals in granite are not large and perfect.
Amethysts are crystals of quartz colored a beautiful violet by the presence of a tiny amount of manganese.
Another interesting aspect of our quartz study was the knowledge that our local gold mines were commonly quartz gold mines. The gold was extracted using a series of stamp mills, mixed with water, and then extracted using mercury. I have seen the stamp mill replica in our town and was told that when it was in operation the noise echoed all over the town. I can only imagine how that would have sounded!
If you are interested in studying more about quartz using the Handbook of Nature Study, don’t miss this challenge from the archives: Quartz Study
To refresh your memory, I am going to try to collect all fifteen rocks discussed in the Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads (Take-Along Guides).This month we spent lots of time out and about looking at rocks, collecting a few new ones, and enjoying our rock adventures. We did not actually complete any of the fifteen rocks from the book. I can see now that I need to be more purposeful if I am going to achieve this goal in the year 2013.
The affiliate links in this post are to things I own and highly recommend.
Step gently out,
be still,
and watch
a single blade
of grass.
I want to introduce you to another wonderful children’s nature study book, Step Gently Out. This book, written from the ant-eye-view, will inspire you and your children to perhaps look more closely at nature when you are outside together.
Read the pages, examine the images, and let your child tell you what he thinks of each and every page. Use this idea of looking carefully during your next Outdoor Hour (or even a quick minute or two if that is all you have).
In our modern world it might be easy to miss these opportunities to take a good look at our surroundings. This book will serve as a stimulus and a reminder.
This is one you can look for at your public library and then decide if you want it for your personal library.
I’m an Amazon Affiliate and only recommend products that I personally own (or wish I owned) and think my readers will love as well! This post may contain some links that will take you to these products on Amazon where I receive a small referral fee. I greatly appreciate your support!
Bird Feet
Use some of your time this week to observe some bird feet. Any birds will do so get creative…do you have ducks at a park, chickens near-by, or birds at your feeder?
These notebooking pages for your nature journal are meant to help you go deeper in your study of bird feet. page one can be used by younger children and page two is meant for a more advanced study. Feel free to choose one to use now and one to use later if you need to.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #4. Use the ideas in this challenge to start a focused study of birds. Use the accompanying notebook page to record your week’s outdoor time and then start a running list of birdsyou see this month or for a season.
This post contains affiliate links to a book I highly recommend and have in my own library.
This month I am really encouraging you to look for ways to use literature in your nature study. I want to share a new favorite book, Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadowby Joyce Sidman. This outstanding book is a treat for the eyes and an inspiration for your pens and crayons!
I love it when a book can engage young readers and Butterfly Eyes uses lovely poetry and clever riddles to draw the reader in. The riddles help the children use their imaginations and their knowledge of meadow inhabitants in way that makes learning fun.
So many meadow creatures are featured in this book. I know lots of you may not live near a meadow so this book will introduce many of the animals, insects, and plants you will find there, creating enthusiasm for a future meadow visit with the narratives and illustrations.
The format is poetry riddles that your child will guess to identify the meadow creatures found on the following pages. The poems are on the over-sized pages…sometimes you even have to turn the book sideways to view the whole scene!
The end pages of the book are complete pictures of many of the subjects found in the book and are a great way to review once you are doing with the last page.
The style of the artwork is another great aspect of this book. Done with scratch art techniques, your children may want to imitate this style to create a beautiful scene for their nature journal or to display on your art wall.
Use the ideas in the November 2013 newsletter in the article I wrote on library books to help you get started reading this amazing piece of nature literature to your children.
Follow Up Ideas:
Identify the creatures on the dust jacket of the book.
Readers of my blog know how much I value healthy living and family relationships that are built around being active. Eating healthy foods, working at living a more green lifestyle, and being organized are also aspects of my life that I share on a regular basis. If you share these values, I have an opportunity for you to purchase a huge library of resource ebooks to supplement and encourage your chosen lifestyle.
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Disclosure: I am an affiliate for this ebook bundle and will make a commission for every bundle I sell. I have not read and cannot endorse every single book in this bundle.
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Want to know my picks?
Meals ePlanner from List Plan It (plus their bonus offer for 3 month free trial membership!)
UnWired Mom by Sarah Mae
Green Your Life by Emily
One Bite at a Time by Tsh
21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal (Moneysaving Mom)
Fresh Nourishing Salads for All Seasons by Kimberly
This edition of the newsletter is going to be a fabulous resource for you family. There are so many wonderful suggestions for literature that you can find at your library or add to your personal collection. Filled with practical advice and personal recommendations, the November 2013 Nature Literature Newsletter is going to encourage your family to try some new things as part of your nature study and the Outdoor Hour Challenge.
Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:
6 featured articles sharing varying aspects of using literature in your family’s nature study
November Study Grid and Printables
My Nature Book Report – printable notebook page
Coloring Page
Recommended study links and suggested activities
I have attached the newsletter download link to the bottom of my blog feed so if you are a subscriber you will receive the link to the latest newsletter at the bottom of every post for the month of November. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can still subscribe and receive the newsletter link in the next post that comes to your email box. You can subscribe to my blog by filling in your email address in the subscription box on my sidebar.
Note: You can download your newsletter from the link in two ways:
If your link is clickable, right click the link and then “save link as” to save the file on your computer.
If the link is not clickable, cut and paste the link to your browser, open, and then save your newsletter to your computer.
October has been the most mild and inviting time to be outdoors! The mornings have been cool, the sunshine abundant, and the afternoons were just perfect to take a walk crunching the leaves under foot. I can’t remember an October like this one! I hope your month has been full of sunshine and nature walks too.
Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful entries with this edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Readers are in for a treat and hopefully they will be inspired to take a few minutes during November to create their own nature study memories as well.
October Grid Study – Colors and Textures
Michelle from Following Footprints shares their OHC – Fun With Fall Colors and Textures entry with this edition of the carnival. I told her that this made my heart sing and I know it will inspire you too!
Lisa from Pilgrims at Tinker Creek has submitted their entry: Autumn Nature Walk. We get to glimpse into their colors and textures…so many to enjoy!
Carla from Inside Outside Michiana put together a lovely entry: Leaf Art. This is part of the grid study this month. She is going to be having a 30 Days of Nature Art series on her blog in November 2013. That sounds awesome!
Oak Tree
Carla from Inside Outside Michiana has submitted their entry: Nurturing Acorns – Trees.There are so many wonderful ideas incorporated into this entry that you don’t want to miss it if you have little ones.
Pumpkin
Shirley Ann from Under An English Sky has submitted their OHC Pumkins entry for you to read. They grew their own pumpkins, completed a study, and then did some pumpkin art. Don’t miss this encouraging post!
Michelle from Following Footprints shares their Pumpkin Patch Fieldtrip. So much pumpkiny goodness! They then did a Pumpkin Study and would love for you to take a peek!
Squirrels
Heidi from Home Schoolroom shares their Squirrel Nature Study entry with carnival readers.You are in for a treat..getting to read about and see their squirrel friend, Nutty.
Shirley Ann submits her Autumn Mushroom Study entry for you to enjoy. The images and nature journal examples are worth the time to click over and read. Thanks Shirley Ann!
Barbara from The Schoolhouse on the Prairie has put together their The Best of Autumn (Autumn Nature Study) entry for you to enjoy. They are completing their nature study with a baby along this year…adorable!
Dorina from Outside Blue would love for you to read her entry: Monday Bike Ride and a Goldenrod Nature Study. Take a look at their goldenrod study in NYC. It is the tallest goldenrod I have ever seen!
Kathy from Kathy’s Cluttered Mind shares her entry: Arachnid Nature Club Hike. Don’t miss her free printable notebook page.
Cristy from Crafty Cristy has written up their Insects in Our Yard entry and you are going to really be thrilled to see all her amazing butterfly images. She has a great idea for stepping stones too…don’t miss it!
Carla from Inside Outside Michiana shares a wonderful entry with the carnival: Nature Study – Soccer Mom Style. This is a wonderful example to all of us to make nature study fit in where we can and see the value of it. Thank you for sharing this Carla.
Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in November are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 11/29/13 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com or submit them at the blog carnival site (link on the sidebar of my blog).
Taking a nature walk can bring refreshment to your whole family. Maybe you are having a tough day and the children are a little restless or perhaps the weather is just too nice to stay inside all day…these are perfect opportunities to drop everything else, put on your shoes and take a walk in your own neighborhood or a park close by.
Stepping outside can make a world of difference if you are feeling cooped up inside your house.
Fresh air can blow the grumpy attitudes away.
There is always something new to see outside…let your children show you.
Allowing time for children to explore, run, climb, and jump is a healthy way to burn up some built up energy.
Moms need a few minutes outside to look up at the sky and remember that each day has something to be thankful for.
I created a simple nature journal with some of the highlights of our Quiet Nature Walk.
We took a hike this week and I made sure to include a few minutes to walk quietly, using all our senses. This idea was included in this month’s newsletter along with three other ideas to use during your outdoor time.
You can find all four ideas in the October 2013 Newsletter on page 3:
Color Walk
Seasonal Walk
Quiet Walk
Follow the Leader
You can still receive this edition of the newsletter until 11/1/13. If you subscribe today, you will get it in the 10/31/13 entry (Blog Carnival) that comes tomorrow. Hurry…don’t miss it before it is gone.
Our our recent camping trip to Yosemite National Park, we made a special effort to really observe the milkweed. This was made lots easier by the fact that there was lots of milkweed in the meadow near the campground.
The real story of the Showy milkweed in the autumn is the way the pods burst open to expose all of the seeds with their silky white hairs. The brown part is the seed and the white part helps the seeds fly away from the plant.
They remind me of dandelions because when you blow on the seeds they scatter to the wind. There are lots and lots of seeds in each pod. The information I read online said that the seeds are very viable and will grow in dry habitats including fields and road sides.
I think the milkweed silky haired seeds are very beautiful…look at them shimmer in the sunshine.
We have one more season to observe before we have seen the complete cycle of this wonderful butterfly attractive plant. I am looking forward to seeing what winter brings.
Autumn Watercolor – Leaves, Clouds, Acorns, or Anything Else
Bring out your watercolors (or watercolor pencils or watercolor crayons) and create a page for your nature journal as part of your Autumn Weather Challenge.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #1.If you haven’t tried any of the Getting Started suggestions yet this season, give Challenge #1 a try…super easy for every family to just take a walk together and then have a follow-up discussion and offer time for a nature journal page. Keep it light and easy.
You are welcome to submit any of you blog Outdoor Hour Challenge blog entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Entries for the current month are due on 10/30/13.